To be a woman
by Sweet Miyamoto
Summary: This is the story of Miyamoto before having Jessie. How did she get pregnant? Why did she join Team Rocket? A 16-year old Miyamoto leaves her upper middle-class family to discover a new world. The world of Team Rocket.
1. Farewell

**TO BE A WOMAN.**

**_I think that this fanfic has some adult themes in it, so I wouldn't really recommend it for little children. But don't worry, that's nothing too hard. This is the story of Miyamoto (Jessie's mother) before she joined Team Rocket: through my point of view, her teenage pregnancy was the main reason of her joining the Rocket Gang. Also the fact that Jessie grew up so poor with her mother being the best Team Rocket's agent of the time never made sense to me._**

**_I also decided to use a dubbed name for Miyamoto. In my fanfics, I call her Melissa._**

Chapter one: Farewell

Summers in the region of Kanto are very hot. The sun shines brightly for the majority of the day, leaving a mild and dry climate during the night. Kanto is the principal city of its homonym region: while Pallet Town, Cerulean City, Pewter City and all the other towns of this big region are just small villages, Kanto is the right place to grow up: beautiful houses, lots of attractions for kids and teenagers, amazing parks and gardens, restaurants and many other interesting things.

The presence of Beverly-Hills styled houses and districts makes of Kanto the most envied place to live. Most people who live in this city are known to be very good families with expensive cars, houses and wealthy lives. The inhabitants of Kanto City live in very quiet residential districts, far away both from the traffic of the downtown and from the violence of the suburbs.

I have grown up in Kanto. And I still think it is the most beautiful city I've ever seen.

The Kanto street fair is the principal event that happens in Kanto City once a year. It usually lasts from 8 to 11 September and teenagers and scholars are used to participate, since it is the main sign of the end of the summer. I surely made no exception as I used to go every year with my friends.

But on the year I turned 16, I wasn't allowed to take part to the street fair. That summer will always be unforgettable to me. I graduated from Pokemon Tech on July with excellent results and my mother, as a present, took me and my little sister to the United States for two weeks. After returning home, I spent a lot of time with my friends, especially with my best friend Sarah. I can't even remember the first time I met her, because we had known each other since we were born.

Thinking that one single moment can change an entire life it's a very funny thing. I had never really believed that, until it happened to me. One single moment changed my entire life.

It all happened on a middle August night. A rock group called "Succo Marcio" was playing in Kanto and I wanted to go to their concert and so did Sarah. So we spent that evening at their concert but didn't go home for the night. I told my mother that I was sleeping at Sarah's and she told her parents that she was sleeping at my house. When the concert was over, Sarah went to spend the night off with her boyfriend, Mark if I can remember well, while I reached for Jason's room (the hot singer of the group) as I absolutely wanted an autograph. I didn't expect him to be so tender and generous that I accepted his invitation inside his room. We got to know each other very well and talked for about two hours. I eventually felt so attracted by him (and he did too) that I ended up loosing my virginity to him.

Yes, it was my first time.

I do not know what really went wrong that time. Maybe it was because I didn't tell him I was a virgin or simply because he was just looking for some fun. Well, he cheated on me and said we could never be together. I cried for almost a week but I was totally unaware of what was expecting me.

During the second week of September, I realized I was pregnant. I swear I was almost to have a heart attack when I found out. I would have started a pre-college course the following month. How could I go on?

The evening I told my family the truth was different from the others: the calm and the tranquillity of Kanto City was interrupted by nothing so usual.

From my Italian-styled house, the sounds of two feminine voices could be heard from the outside. Me and my mother were yelling at each other.

"You're an immature girl!" My mother yelled angrily at me.

"But… but mom!" I remember the entire discussion pretty well. Those weren't things that one can forget so easily.

"You heard me! You're nothing more than an irresponsible and immature little girl!" We looked deeply into each other's eyes when I began to cry.

"I'm sorry mom, I know… I know I did a stupid thing… but please forgive me… forgive me," I felt sorry for what happened. I knew she was right but that was everything I managed to say in my own defence.

"FORGIVE ME? YOU HAVE THE COURAGE TO ASK ME TO FORGIVE YOU?" She asked me, angrily.

"Well, I… I… I don't know how but… I'll work things out," I was really confused. We stayed in silence for what seemed like an eternity. The only sound that could be heard was my sobbing. Tears fell down to my cheeks and melted on my long purple hair which was down to my shoulders. My face was red from crying and also my aqua eyes were almost the same colour.

"I'll tell you why you don't know," the first of the two who broke the silence was my mother. She was a middle aged woman with long, straight brown hair and aqua eyes. The same colour of mine.

"You are 16, but your head is still up in clouds," she said as she slapped me on the face.

I could say nothing but keep on sobbing.

"With all we did for you… with all I did for you… You were born here in this prestigious family, you attended the best schools in Kanto… You travel in expensive cars, wear fashion clothes… We always bought you everything you wanted! What didn't we give you? What do you miss in your life? What went wrong, Melissa? ANSWER ME!" She yelled to me.

"Nothing… nothing went wrong, mom… It's just that… that… I… I liked him," I don't know where I got this stupid sentence from. In fact, my mother didn't like it at all. Another slap on my sobbing face. This time, harder.

"I'm very disappointed in you. With the 'I liked him' thing, you ruined your life. Is that what you call an adult behaviour? To me, you sound like nothing more than a child," she said.

"I promise I will get a job and then…"

"And then what? How can you think you'll be able to take care of a child when you can't even take care of yourself? You are just 16, you can't be a woman at your age! YOU CAN'T!"

These words rumbled in my head.

"You have just graduated from the best and most expensive high school here in Kanto," my mother continued "only the best of the future is waiting for you… you can go to college and be anything you want… a lawyer, a doctor. Or even take your father's place and run the family company. But no! You have to ruin your life". My father was the owner of a company which produces furniture. I was expected, as well as my brother and little sister, to take his place in the society. On the other hand, my mother was a lawyer. That's because me and my parents (especially my mother) decided that the best thing to do was enrolling me at the Economy and Business High School of the city, the same school which attended my brother and will probably attend my little sister too.

My brother, Simon, was four years older than me. He was pretty cute and had lots of girlfriends. Who knows how many times he may had found himself in that same situation of mine? On the other hand, my sister Kathleen was 7 years younger than me. She was still living in that world made up from candies and sweet fairy tales.

"I will get a job. I can work in the company and do whatever dad needs me to do. I can stay in the office or at the reception. I will do whatever he wants, even cleaning if it's necessary,"

"I don't think that your father will be happy about this. You know what he would say,"

"Dad's not like you!"

"Dad is not like me? Then why don't you pick up the phone and tell him right now?" With that, she picked up the phone and handed it to me. My parents had divorced the previous year. I was living with my mother as well as my brother and little sister, while my father lived in another city. He probably had a new woman so I never really got to visit him. I didn't want to see with my eyes the reason of my parents' divorce.

I realized that my mother was right. If she was angry with me and didn't understand my reasons, my father would have been even worse. I've always thought that if they were still together at that time, he would have agreed with mom.

I stayed in silence for a minute or so.

"You know I'm right, Melissa. You are just a stupid, irresponsible and immature girl. How can you even think of taking care of a child? What… what would people say?"

"I don't care about other people! I only care about myself!"

"That's the problem with you! You only care about yourself and not about your family! What would people say about me? That I'm not a good mother. That I allow my daughter to sleep with everybody," she said. "Melissa, our family is already ruined. Please, don't aggravate things. Please think about this," she added with a desperate tone.

I said nothing as I kept on crying. "There's only one way to get rid of this problem. You know what I mean," my mother went on.

"YOU WANT ME TO HAVE AN ABORTION?" I said in disbelief.

"That's my point,"

"Don't even try to convince me! Don't you know that abortion is murder?"

"Abortion is absolutely necessary in your circumstances! Do it and we'll never talk about this anymore,"

"Oh mom please! I will never kill my child. I don't want it to pay for a mistake of mine!"

"Is this your decision then?"

"Absolutely. No abortion,"

"Fine. You're not allowed to live here anymore,"

"What… What are you talking about? What does this mean?"

"You heard me. I can't ruin again my reputation by letting my 16 year old daughter having a baby with somebody she doesn't even know. Pack all your stuff, Melissa Randwhyte. You are leaving right now,"

"You are kidding, aren't you?"

"I am not. If you think you are woman enough to take this decision, you'll have to deal with its consequences. Get a job, get a house, do whatever you want, but don't try to come back with that fool creature to be," With that, she turned her back to me.

I was speechless. I couldn't believe that she had just kicked me out of home.

I looked around in the dining room, as if searching for an inspiration to say the right thing. But I found nothing.

"But… but… mom…" I said, despondently. I could hear my mother crying too.

"No buts, Melissa! You heard me. Get out of here immediately."

I ran upstairs crying. I burst into my room and slammed the door. I collapsed onto my soft bed which was covered with a white manually-embroidered cover. All around me, a lot of Pokemon plushes, teddy bears and wooden dolls seemed to understand everything. I tossed my head into the pillow and, for the following hour, cried my heart out.

Mum was sitting on the white leather sofa when I got downstairs tears in my eyes, my Eastpack backpack on my shoulders. In my heart I still hoped that my mother would change idea. But of course it did not happen.

"Farewell mother." this is all I managed to say.

With that, I opened the door and left my home on that hot September night.

The most unforgettable summer of my life.


	2. Troubles

Chapter two: troubles

After I left home, I don't know how much time I spent on a bench in Kanto park. I only know that when I decided to get up to go somewhere else I had to put my coat on, as it wasn't so hot anymore. The place I decided to go was Sarah's home. After telling her the whole truth about me and my mother, she would have allowed me to spend the night at her home. Anyway, I couldn't believe what her parents said to me when I ringed her doorbell.

"We can't find Sarah anywhere," her mother said to me, almost in tears.

"Maybe she's just gone somewhere around here. Don't worry, she will come home soon," I said to them, trying to cheer them up.

"No, I don't think so," her father stated, seriously. "She left this note." I really couldn't believe what I read on that card. She ran away from home. There was no mention of the reasons because of which she decided to leave, though. She just said she needed to be far away from home for a long period. Her mother burst out crying. They decided to call the police and I left giving them my best wishes and promising to let them know in case I found something.

I convinced myself that it was just one of Sarah's jokes. It was not the first time she pretended to run away after arguing with her parents. It always ended with a two-or-three-hour escapade in order to get her parents worried about her. Then, she returned home and everybody was happy to see her again.

Yes, it couldn't' have been otherwise. Sarah was just making the same joke for the millionth time. I could see no reason for not calling me if she really had planned to run away. I promised myself to give her a ring after finding a place to sleep.

Anyway, I decided to leave Kanto that night. It was the right thing to do, as I had nobody else I wanted to stay with. As I was walking toward Kanto Station, something began to rub against my left ankle. I screamed. I looked down and saw what I was less expecting. My Meowth! He must have followed me since I left home. I was glad to see my only Pokemon.

"Meowth! Meowth!" I didn't capture Meowth, though. He had been given to me by an old woman I met in the United States during my trip. She was staying in the same hotel I was and gave Meowth to me as a present because she thought she was too old to take care of him. Meowth needed someone younger and that woman saw me as the right person to keep him since I loved cats. I had been taking care of that cute, little Pokemon as if it was my own child and he returned my tenderness as well. I treated him as a pet and not as a Pokemon. I never really trained Meowth since I was not a trainer. I returned him to his Pokeball and I kept on walking toward the station.

But where should I have gone to? And most important, what was I supposed to do? I had always dreamed about going away to college, but I was too young (and I had to attend a two year pre-course). Besides, I had to think about getting a job in order to support me and my baby to be. The fact that I came from a middle-class family was an advantage in this case for I ran away with a quite consistent sum of money both in my wallet and on my credit card. But that didn't matter. Money does not last forever and I had to get a job.

I graduated about two months before from the Economy and Business High School in Kanto and, perhaps, that could represent a chance for me. I could try to look for a calm job. Not the kind of job you go around for Pokemon gyms for long periods of time and have street battles with trainers. I wanted to look for something suited for a pregnant girl. I mean, those who graduate from Pokemon Tech (and other prestigious Pokemon schools) are very good trainers and have immediate access to the Indigo League but they're good only at that. They can't do other jobs. But my case was different. Maybe I could look for a job as a secretary. It's not that I expected a huge salary, but the least to support me and my child.

I didn't want to stay in Kanto. I know I was born there and I loved that city, but if I had stayed there my mother would probably have discovered one day or another about my new life. And the last thing I wanted was my mother to have news about me. She kicked me out of home, then she had to live completely without me. I didn't want to see her anymore. I know I was terribly angry that night but she disinherited me and didn't offer me her support. Not even her moral one.

I didn't ask her to economically support that burden of mine.

The only thing I wanted was a mother's comprehension. The only thing I got back was an ass kick.

If she wanted this, she had to deal with this. No matter what, I didn't want her to hear from me anymore. I knew this all would hurt. A lot.

I bought a ticket for Viridian City and left Kanto on the first train. Kanto, my beautiful home town. My friends, my home, my best memories all were a part of Kanto. I allowed a single tear to fall down on my cheek. I felt the bitter taste in my mouth as I desperately tried to suppress the sensation of crying.

I needed to grow up. If I had felt old enough to take an important decision such as giving myself to a perfect stranger, then I had to learn how to deal with its consequences. Plus, I wasn't home anymore and the feeling of myself having a baby in nine months wasn't a huge weight on my conscience as it was before I told my mother the truth. I felt somehow free and more independent.

On the train, I took place in a desert wagon. Not many people were traveling, as it was about midnight and Viridian is not a big city. It's only famous because of its important Pokemon Gym, the official one which gives trainers the "Earth Badge".

"Hey, girl, it's time to wake up."

"Oh, thanks". I don't know how much time that ride lasted, but a train controller had to wake me up when the train arrived in Viridian City. When I jumped off the wagon, I inspired the cool, chilly air of Viridian City. I had never been there before and, for some strange reason, I felt like I was never going to leave that city. It's not that I absolutely adored Viridian at the first impact, but I have always been sensitive on these things and my instinct was rarely wrong.

That same day, I found my first job as a waitress at a local restaurant. I would have started the following day. I decided to go to the local Pokemon Center and ask if they would let me spend the night there. Only Pokemon trainers were allowed to sleep at Pokemon Centers so I lied to nurse Joy by saying I was a trainer myself. I showed Meowth as my Pokemon.

"So you have just started your Pokemon journey?" Nurse Joy asked me.

"Yes, Meowth is my only Pokemon," I lied to her.

"But you look a bit old to start a Pokemon journey," she answered, "centers are full of children of 10 or 11, not older teenagers,"

"That's because I had some problems at home and starting my own journey has always been impossible to me until now,"

"Well, I'm glad to hear this. If you really are on a Pokemon journey, you are welcome here. By the way, let me have a check on your Meowth."

That was how I managed to stay in Viridian City for about a week. I told Nurse Joy that I needed to gain some experience by having street battles with trainers before challenging the local gym owner. Fortunately, she believed me. But eventually, after a week of lodging at the local Pokemon Center, the fortune knocked on my door. I'm not sure if I can call it a fortune, but at least I found something I was looking for. And for the second time, an unexpected single moment changed my life.

After a day of working at the restaurant, I was walking towards the Pokemon Center. It was late and dark and I was alone.

"Hey, pretty girl!" I turned back and saw a tall man walking in my direction. I didn't like him at all, so I quickened up my footsteps. "What's up? I just wanna know you!" I hadn't calculated that kind of danger when I left home. I quickened up a bit more and I began to run. But I was too scared. My legs began to tremble and I needed more and more air to breathe. I heard a loud crash behind me. I turned back and saw the man collapsed on the ground between cans and boxes, with a bottle of beer in his right hand. I sighed with relief as I turned into another street. I stopped and rested my back against a wall in order to breath quietly.

I tried to calm down while gaining all my strengths. I rested for some minutes, when a car stopped in front of me only a few meters from where I was. The car was not very different from the ones I was used to see in Kanto. It was a dark red limo, a Mercedes, with black windows. The kind of windows which are used to hide famous people. My father had the same car but it was the black station wagon version and without the dark windows.

"Need any help?" When the car window lowered, I heard a feminine voice coming from the inside. I stretched my neck to see who was inside. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you. I stopped because I saw you in danger," the woman said to me.

"Well… Thanks," was all I could say.

"Do you think you need a lift?" she asked me, kindly.

"Uhm, well, I… I think so," the fact that she was a woman reassured me. I jumped on her car and closed the door.

She was alone. Though it was dark inside the car I could see that everything was neat and tidy. I smelt the soft fragrance of lavender.

"Where should I drive you to?" the kind voice of the woman asked me.

"I'm staying at the Pokemon Center," I responded reassured. I turned my head a little in order to look at her. But it was too dark and I didn't want her to notice me staring at her so I didn't really manage to see her face.

"So are you a Pokemon trainer?"

"Well, not exactly,"

"How can you sleep at a Pokemon Center if you are not a trainer?"

"It's a long story. For the moment, I'm just looking for a job,"

"I guess you are too shaken by this bad event to talk me about your situation. But if you are looking for a job, perhaps I can do something for you," she added with an involving voice.

"Really? What kind of job?" I asked hopefully. At that moment we arrived at the Pokemon Center and she stopped the car.

"Come tomorrow morning at the Viridian City Pokemon Gym. I'll be there from 10 o'clock," I jumped off the car before answering her.

"But ma'am, I'm not a trainer,"

"Don't worry. It's not a trainer what I'm looking for. See you tomorrow," with that she started her car and left. I didn't even have the time to say yes or no.

Her authoritative attitude had something calamitous to me. I felt I couldn't refuse the appointment for the following day.


	3. Dark roses and red shoes

Chapter three: dark roses and red shoes

When I got to the Viridian Gym that morning it was very hot. I was wearing a white V-neckline t-shirt, blue jeans and a pair of Superga shoes, my sunglasses on my head. I entered the gym to find myself in a very big and luminous room. It was where Pokemon battles took place.

I saw three people busy at the other side of the room and I reached them.

"I have an appointment," I said to one of them. I felt a bit silly because I didn't even know the name of the woman.

"Ok, you can wait here," the girl pointed at some chairs as she already knew the person who I had to see.

Ten minutes later, she called me and led me through lots of hallways. There were corridors which led to other corridors. It seemed like an infinite series of gateways and lobbies. I had the feeling of being in the undergrounds of a hospital. We met a lot of people all wearing strange uniforms with a red R. I swear it took us about fifteen minutes of walk to reach the office of the woman. It was a majestic dark oak door with simple decorations inlaid on it. I could not look elsewhere.

The girl knocked on the door and introduced me in.

"Tell her to come in," I heard the familiar voice of the woman from inside the room. I took all my courage to go in. Her office was even bigger than I had imagined. Dark grey floor and walls, two polyester chairs in front of her desk and some pots along the perimeter. Everything was dark. The prevailing colours were black, grey and red. I supposed those colours were her favourite.

"Good morning, ma'am,"

"Good morning, young lady. I knew you would have accepted my invitation. Why don't you take a chair? We have a lot to discuss about,"

"Thank you ma'am," that situation had something sinister to me. I had never been particularly brave in my life. If it had been just a couple of months before, I'm sure I would have escaped from that place. But who knows what the future holds? Perhaps, I was getting unconsciously stronger in order to face my new life to be. I decided I had nothing to loose.

"Yesterday we didn't even have the time to introduce each other," she said while handling some papers.

"My name is Melissa. I'm 16 and I come from Kanto City. Ma'am, first of all I would like you to know that I'm very thankful for what you have done. A drunk man was following me and I was almost to lose my strengths. Then…"

"No need to thank me. Let's talk about important things now. Time is money," she interrupted me. "I see you come from Kanto City. What brings you here all alone?" she asked seriously. It was like an interrogatory. She was the policeman and I was the key witness of a murder.

I decided to tell her the truth. 'If she doesn't want a pregnant girl working for her, then I'll be glad to leave' was what I kept on saying into my mind.

"I left home about one week ago because I got pregnant and my mother kicked me out,"

"That's why you were staying at the Pokemon Center,"

"Yes, ma'am. I managed to lodge there for a week by telling them I was a trainer. But truth is I'm not a trainer. I've never studied Pokemon. It wasn't in my plans,"

"What school did you attend?"

"The Economy and Business High School of Kanto. I graduated two months ago with excellent marks. I was planning to study Economy or maybe Law at the college. But things went different,"

"My son too attended the same school,"

"Oh great, perhaps I know him! What's his name?"

"Let me see your right hand," she didn't answer me.

I didn't ask her why. I gave her my hand and watched her studying it. She was a very beautiful and elegant woman with long dark hair and eyes and porcelain skin. She must have been in her early forties but she looked physically younger. She was wearing a dark red dress and red high-heel shoes with grey socks. Everything about her was graced and elegant. The kind of woman I had always wanted to be.

A veil of femininity and charm were what made her so attractive. A woman in career. Oh man, I loved that!

"Beautiful and soft skin. No visible sign of fatigue. I swear you have never worked in your entire life," she stated. "Considering your physical appearance and the kind of clothes you wear, I'd say you have been brought up very well. A good family. You are tidy, neat and polite. Different from the people I usually hire. Let's add the fact that you've been kicked out of home. You must belong to a middle-class family".

She astonished me. I was speechless.

She made a complete radiography just by looking at me. How could she know that? In that moment I learnt that lying to this woman would have been impossible. She would have realized it by simply looking in your eyes.

I didn't dare to deny.

"Yes, ma'am. My father runs a furniture company while my mother is a lawyer,"

"Good, very good. Just the kind of person I'm looking for. Listen, Melissa. I have a proposal for you,"

"I'd be pleased to know it,"

"You can be my assistant. I'm looking for a young lady with all your characteristics," I allowed myself to smile with excitement. "You will stay here in the offices, even when I'm away. You will make documents for me, call people I need to speak to and keep me in touch with the rest of the team".

That sounded good to me. A great job suited for a pregnant girl. Except for the fact that I didn't even know what was her activity.

"That's very good ma'am. It's a great opportunity for me,"

"I'm pleased to hear this,"

"What does your company deal with? I mean, what am I supposed to work with?"

"There's no need for you to know at the moment. You will be learning it very soon,"

With that she called somebody on the phone.

"One of my employee will be here in a couple of minutes. He will show you this division. Then, you will come here and communicate to me your decision. If it's yes, you will start tomorrow. If it's no, I'd be very disappointed. You look smart for your age. I think you'd be perfect for my company."

I heard a loud knock on the door.

"You are excused now. My employee already knows what he has to do. See you later, Melissa".

I thanked her again and went out of her office to find a boy about my age staring at me. He must have been the employee of the phone.

"Hi, you must be the new girl," he said with a smiling face. I smiled back. I had already seen that boy but I couldn't exactly remember where.

"I'm Melissa. Well, I wouldn't say 'new girl' since I'm not even in!"

"I know your name," he said still smiling. "We attended the same school in Kanto. My name is Giovanni,"

"Did we attend the same school? What A good memory! I really couldn't remember about you,"

"That's because I used to notice you every morning and every afternoon after lessons," he blushed at his unintentional compliment. I realized he must have watched me several times at school.

A thought suddenly crossed my mind. "You are the son of the boss, aren't you?" I asked him.

"Well, I'd say so," he said laughing. "For what it's possible to call her a mother!" I laughed too. He seemed friendly. "She wants to be called Madam Boss. Come on, I'll show you this division and then I'll bring you back here".

I found out that Giovanni was my same age. After graduation, he had not planned to go to college so he started working with his mother. He explained me everything about that division but the real activity was still a mystery to me.

"There are 3 divisions. This is Division C, the seat of my mother's offices. Here her secretaries like you work for her. The other two divisions, A and B, are for the other members of the group. White members do all the simply, manual and concrete jobs, white the Black members or the Elites, as you prefer to call them, are as rare as qualified. They have particular skills both for nature and for all the experience they gain as White members. But it's not that all Whites get promoted to Blacks. They must be very special," I listened in silence. "Then, there is the lowest category, the Dan'in. They do all the dirty jobs. But don't worry this category is not for you," he added with a smile. He could do nothing but smileat his second unintentional compliment. I smiled too.

"Giovanni, tell me… What does this company deal with? Your mother has not told me. I want to know before accepting the job," I asked him.

"Well, uhm… I shouldn't tell you about the activity. That's for security reasons. If you don't accept the job it could be a problem for the organization. But I will make an exception for you," he said with a genuine smile. "Uhm… Where to begin from? Well, it's that our organization is not very… 'legal'. To put it in a simple way, we deal with illegal things,"

My eyes went wide. I didn't know if it was for terror or for excitement.

"What kind of illegal activities? Like the Italian mafia?"

"Nothing to do with that. We steal Pokemon, for example. We bargain them or simply use them for experiments. We are making various investments of capital at the moment,"

"But… but how can this be possible? What about the police? And people who get to know about this?"

"The police is our principal enemy, of course. Then, there are curious people. But my mother has a cover activity in order to hide the organization. She is also the owner of the Viridian City Pokemon Gym".

Everything began to made sense. I was too excited. Easy money and a fascinating activity. I imagined myself as one of those spies of the movies.

"That's… that's…" perhaps Giovanni was waiting for a disgust remark from me. Perhaps he thought I would have never accepted the job. "Giovanni, that's fantastic. That's great," I was too excited. For the first time in my life I was taking an important decision by myself. And most important, that decision would have disgusted my mother.

"Are you going to accept the job?"

Ten minutes later I was knocking at the boss's office. I went in.

"Ma'am, I'm here to inform you that I accept the job,"

"Good Melissa. Very good. And welcome to Team Rocket".


	4. The world spins too fast

Chapter four: the world spins too fast

_I want to give you my life,_

_I'm asking you to change my life,_

_I know you'll need time,_

_Even if there isn't enough time…_

These were the words of a song I liked. I'd say suited for me.

I guess everybody wonders why I joined Team Rocket. I would have had other chances. I had the possibility of choosing my destiny. But I preferred to throw away my life like this, in a criminal organization. I was satisfied about my new life even if I knew that things could have gone in a different way. I don't regret my decision. I have never done that and I never will.

Perhaps, it was the feeling of excitement. Perhaps it was the fact that I was doing something that my mother would have never approved. Perhaps it was the fact that Madam Boss gave me a room there at Division C, where I could stay for the following 10 months. Anyway, in that period I began to love my new job.

I liked what Madam Boss wanted me to do. I was a secretary at all effects. Even when she was away I had to keep her in contact with the rest of the organization. I phoned to her collaborators and took appointments for her. She even let me do the salaries of her employees.

Day by day I was discovering the real, complex, hierarchical structure of Team Rocket. Worthy Dan'in became Whites. Worthy Whites became Blacks. Even her secretaries could become Black Rockets, since they also could gain a lot of experience. But it was a sporadic possibility. Madam Boss told me that after the pregnancy I could have become a Black too, as I was doing a great job for her.

After three days at Team Rocket, I met the person I was less expecting to meet. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her in the corridor.

"Sarah?" I called her name in disbelief. She turned to face the person who had just called her.

"Melissa? What are you doing here?" I didn't even reply to her as I ran to embrace my friend.

"I can't believe you're here too!" I said almost crying for happiness.

"I know I left home without telling anything to you, but I had no time!" she managed to say.

"That's not important now. The only thing that matters is that you're here too!"

"What about a break? Do you want a coffee?"

We went to the café inside Division C. Since I don't like coffee, I took a bottle of water.

"I left home almost three weeks ago. I'm sorry I haven't told you before but I had no time. I met Madam Boss that same night and she offered me a job here. I didn't even have the time to say no that I found myself here. But I don't mind it at all. I love my new life," Sarah told me.

"Yes, the same thing happened to me. But Team Rocket seems to be hospitable with its members," I added.

"Melissa everything in your life was perfect. Why did you run away?" she asked taking my hand.

"I have not told you something," I answered blushing a little. "Do you remember the night we spent out after the concert?" Since Sarah was my best friend, I had told her everything about that night. She of course knew that I had sex with Jason. "Well, I… I'm pregnant. Four days after realizing it, I found out you had run away. My mother kicked me out of home. I didn't know where to go when I met…"

Sarah's unexpected laughter stopped me.

"What's so funny, Sarah?" I was a bit annoyed.

"Melissa… I'm sure you won't believe it!" I was still looking at her silently. "You can't understand how relieved I feel! Would you feel any better if I told you I'm pregnant too?" She smiled at me.

Sarah told me that she didn't even inform her parents about her pregnancy. She was too scared. She left without saying anything, just a handwritten note which her mother showed to me the night I left. She was planning to stay away from home only for nine or ten months. The time to have her baby. She had planned to put the child up for adoption. But she eventually met Madam Boss. And we all know the rest.

That was the reason why Sarah hadn't called me. She was not planning to find such a job and when she met Madam Boss she didn't even have the time. The same thing that happened to me.

Anyway, I was happy she was in my situation. Not because I was glad of her trouble. But at least I was not alone and we could support each other in that difficult moment. I was sure that she had the same feeling too.

We got to spend a lot of time together, of course. And we made friends with other people working at Division C. Most of them were girls and they were all Madam Boss's secretaries just like me and Sarah. There were only a few boys. However, Division C was the less populated of the organization. We didn't have to wear an outfit like White or Black Rockets and our work was of course more relaxing. Plus, we were given a room inside Division C where we lived at all effects. Sarah and I asked Madam Boss to be put in the same room and she had nothing against it. "If this can help you to work better," was her response.

I could say I was glad of my new life. Finally, I was independent and that mattered a lot to me. However, there were also moments in which I felt depressed and dejected. They weren't a rarity at all. It usually happened during the night or just before going to bed. I got to miss my family a lot, especially my little sister. She was so innocent in the whole matter and the feeling that I deprived her of her older sister made me feel sick. But I also missed my mother, even if the relationship between us had never been brilliant. She was my mother after all and I was only a teenager. I even had the idea of returning home and begging my mother to take me back. But it was only an idea which came about during a discouragement moment. I eventually managed to stay there and work for Team Rocket.

I can't deny I fell in love with that place. I simply loved my work and I had a sick devotion for the mysterious woman who literally saved me from shit and gave me a job.

I felt I owed her my life.

While walking in the hallways, I could smell her soft fragrance, so delicate so feminine. She allured me and had sort of a magnet-effect to me. I could not leave that place.

During my stay at Division C, I never got to see the other two Divisions. But I supposed that the place where I worked was the best furnished since it was the seat of Madam Boss's personal office. First of all, it was not located in the undergrounds like Division A and B. It was adjacent to the Pokemon Gym and not isolated from the rest of the world. I guess Madam Boss liked flowers, especially roses, for she used to put them in every room and atrium. But her main obsession were dark colours. All the roses she put everywhere were black or dark red. No light colours. No sign of purity.

"When I'm in charge of Team Rocket, I will remove all that ridiculous flowers from everywhere as the first thing to do," Giovanni once said to me. As I liked the roses, I didn't agree with him.

Team Rocket's headquarters was something impressive. The most extended establishment I had seen in my life. You could get lost if you didn't knew it. The three Divisions were all connected to each other but of course the uncovered one was Division C. Division A and B were secret for everybody and you could reach them only though secret passages or through Division C. I wondered if Madam Boss had created Team Rocket's huge empire by herself.

"Hey Sarah, what are you thinking about?"

It was a chilly October night and me and Sarah were in our room at the Headquarters. I was on my bed reading a book and Sarah was on hers looking outside the window. She was absorbed in her own thoughts.

"Just wondering how my life is going to change. Don't you ever think about it?" she asked while turning to face me. Her white pajamas gave her a marked colour all over the face. Her skin was just a little bit darker than mine. In fact, when I'm hot my cheeks tend to become red, unlike Sarah's. She had dark brown eyes and long, brown hair with some blonde reflex. I personally liked her hair colour. Her face had gentle and nice traits and something a bit tender and childish.

"Yes, I always think about it. But I'm happy you're here with me,"

"You're right Melissa. We'll have our babies together and they'll grow up together," Sarah said while smiling at me.

"And who knows, maybe we'll have two daughters. And they'll be friends," I liked to day-dream about my future life.

"Or maybe they'll be a boy and a girl. And they'll marry when they are older!"

Sarah and I laughed at her thought.

"If they marry, you are going to become my mother-in-law… and I don't want to be relative with you!"

We couldn't stop laughing.

"Sarah, have you ever wondered why ma'am boss has chosen me and you?" I changed subject after our 'funny' topic. "I mean, do you think it's just a coincidence that we are here together?"

Before answering me, Sarah had to gain breath from our laughter. "Yes, I think it's just a coincidence. She needed two new secretaries and found me and you. That's all,"

"Yeah, maybe you're right. Maybe she thinks we are suited for this job also because of the school we attended,"

"It could be a possibility. But I heard that ma'am boss eyes people just with a look and immediately understands everything about them. She likes to choose personally her collaborators and employees,"

"I know. It's exactly the same feeling I got when I met her,"

"Believe me, Melissa. If ma'am boss didn't rely on us, she would have never hired us. She seems an intelligent woman. She knows what she is doing," Sarah put a hand on my shoulder. I felt encouraged and safe.

She was right. I think that ma'am boss used to hire teenage people because they tend to be more attracted by danger and illegal things than adults. They tend to be loyal and reliable. As for me and Sarah, we were pregnant and had no other place to go. We would have had our babies while working for the organization and they would have grown up inside Team Rocket.

What better opportunity for both us and her?

Madam boss selected her employees carefully. She was rarely wrong.

"I'll go to bed. I'm tired today. Goodnight, Meli," Sarah said yawning and slipping in her own bed.

"All right, me too. Goodnight, Sarah."

I placed my book on the bedside table and reached for the lamp. I looked at our small room for the last time before turning off the light. The place that would have been my home for the following months.


	5. Bright eyes, bright future

Chapter five: bright eyes, bright future

As I sat on my bed trying to get some rest, someone knocked on the door of mine and Sarah's room. It was Giovanni.

"Hi, Melissa," he said smiling to me. "How are you?"

"Hi, Giovanni. Fine, thanks," I must have looked exhausted.

"I know it may seem a stupid question but… how was it?" he asked while sitting on my bed.

"Well, I would say… pretty painful!" I replied smiling back.

"Anyway… I've got a present for you both," he said as he pulled out a small packet. "Open it". I did as Giovanni told me. It was a petit pink embroidered pillow.

"Thank you, Giovanni. It's so nice of you,"

"You are welcome. Can I see her?"

"Of course. She's in the baby carriage," I showed him the baby carriage where my daughter was sleeping. Giovanni looked inside.

"She's so sweet… she looks like an angel," he commented. "What's her name?"

"Jessica," I replied.

That's it. I had just turned seventeen and I was a mother.

It was the most tender feeling I had ever experienced.

Spring came with all its joy and softness. May it's the most beautiful month of the year.

Both me and Jessica were born in May.

She had bright blue eyes like mine and a small tuft of red hair, lighter than mine. She was the most sensational thing I had even done.

I would be a liar if I said it was not difficult at the beginning. Since I was very young, I was not expert at all and I used to listen to Madam Boss's suggestions about how to take care of a newborn. I even found difficulties in changing her diapers. Not to mention all the times Jessie woke up crying loudly during the night. I had to get up and feed her and that left me tired and nervous during the following day.

But a caress and a look at Jessie were always enough to make me forget about those common problems.

There aren't words enough graced and cuddlesome to describe the way I felt.

As for Sarah, she had had her own baby only two weeks before me.

And guess what? A girl. Sarah named her Cassidy.

After the birth, I spent a week in my room at Division C in order to get some rest, then I got back to work. Me and Sarah worked in different hours so as to look after our children. It was enough difficult with one, not to mention when you have two! Anyway, since our room was inside Division C, we could easily get a twenty minute break in order to feed our babies.

"Meli, you know that Jessie looks a lot like you," Sarah commented while we were both in our room, feeding Jessie and Cassidy. "Even if she is only two months and a half, I can see some of your traits. She will be a beautiful girl,"

"Thank you. Also Cassidy's beautiful," I replied smiling at her.

"I guess that our concern of becoming relatives some day has vanished. They can only be great friends," she said laughing.

"Yeah, I replied. And they will be".

The first three months passed rapidly between diapers, lack of sleep and nursing times.

Then, Madam Boss called me and Sarah together in her office. I knew I was doing a good job for her but my first thought when I got her call was that she wanted to kick me out of the Team for not having been so active during the previous three months. Of course, I was wrong.

"Come in," I heard her melodic voice from the inside when we knocked on her office.

"Good morning, ma'am," me and Sarah said in unison.

"Good morning. Take a sit, please," and we both sat in front of her. She tidied up some papers on her desk. "You two have been doing a great job for me, lately," I sighed with relief. "And I want to congratulate with you,"

"Thank you," we both said.

"When I first hired you, I had already noticed your competence and skills. But I didn't imagine that you two could gratify me so much," I was about to explode for satisfaction. I smiled not sure if Madam Boss had noticed me. "That's why I came to a decision,"

Sarah and I listened to her as hypnotized. We exchanged an anxious smile.

"You will be promoted to Black Rockets," Madam Boss declared. I swear I wasn't beside myself with joy. "You will be moved to Division A, the seat of Black agents. You both will be assigned to two new partners, according to your personal skills. You will begin the next week," she announced solemnly.

"Thank you ma'am… that's… that's…" Sarah found herself unable to complete the sentence.

"That's fantastic," I cut in. "It's a great opportunity for us,"

"And we'll do our best to please you," my friend concluded.

"I know. Oh, and one more thing," she went on. "I will give you a house each where to live with your children. Of course, the rent you have to pay will be ridiculous. I will detract it from your salary. This is what I usually do with Black Rockets," I was pretty much interested in it. "Renting out houses which are property of Team Rocket to my Black agents, allows me to displace them on the whole territory. In this way, I can control the whole region. Plus, whenever I need some agents for a mission, I can call the Black members who live closer. This is better both for me and them,"

She was right. She was a genius. How could such a beautiful and elegant woman be the smartest and most tactical criminal mind of the world? She could easily have been a General, if she had lived during the Vietnam War.

"Where will we live?" Sarah asked her.

"In Chestnut Village. It's a small town not far from here," she answered.

I had already heard that name. Chestnut was the name of a small mountain village nearby Viridian City. It was a calm and peaceful group of houses at the mountainside situated at the North of Viridian. As much as it snowed a lot in winter, Chestnut Village got surrounded by wide green and flowery meadows during summer. It seemed a good place for children.

Both me and Sarah thought it was going to be a good accommodation.

We were impatient for beginning our new job and our new life. We were anxious to know our new partners.

And I was finally proud to be a woman.


End file.
